VOA标准英语2009年-UN Chief: Mideast 'Fighting Must Stop'

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says a Security Council resolution demanding an immediate¹ cease-fire in the Gaza Strip must be respected. On the eve of a diplomatic sweep through the region, Mr. Ban said he is "deeply anguished²" over the situation in Gaza and hopes that he can step up the pace of diplomatic efforts on the ground.
　

Ban Ki-moon at UN headquarters in Geneva (file)

Mr. Ban says his message is simple, direct and to the point.

"The fighting must stop," he said. "To both sides, I say, 'Just stop now.'"

The secretary-general has repeatedly called for both sides to implement³ an immediate cease-fire.

Last week, the Security Council adopted resolution 1860 calling for an "immediate and durable⁴ cease-fire" by a vote of 14 to zero. The United States was the sole abstention. But Israel and Hamas have rejected it.
　

A Palestinian woman carries a mattress5 from the rubble6 of a building in an area targeted by Israeli air strikes in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Monday, 12 Jan. 2009

Mr. Ban said that he is "very frustrated⁷ and concerned" that the resolution has not been fully⁸ observed. He cited deep concern over the rising number of Palestinian casualties in Gaza. In 17 days of fighting, more than 900 Palestinians have been reported killed and some 4,000 more injured, many of them civilians⁹.

The U.N. chief leaves for the Middle East on Tuesday and plans to visit seven countries in six days.

"My goal is to step up the pace of our joint¹⁰ diplomatic efforts and ensure that urgent humanitarian¹¹ assistance reaches those in need," he said.

The secretary-general's schedule includes meetings with top leaders in Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria and Kuwait.

Arab ministers have long been planning to meet this week in Kuwait to discuss the global economic crisis. Mr. Ban said he expects there will be extra sessions to deal with the violence in Gaza and that he would be willing to participate.

The secretary-general said he also hopes his visit will be a tangible¹² expression of his support for the 10,000 United Nations personnel on the ground in the Palestinian territories and Israel.

Israel launched its air and ground incursion into Gaza 17 days ago to silence Hamas rocket attacks into southern Israel. In addition to the Palestinian casualties, 10 Israeli soldiers have been killed in the fighting, and three Israeli civilians were killed by Hamas rocket fire.

1 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

2 anguished   

adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式)

参考例句：

• Desmond eyed her anguished face with sympathy. 看着她痛苦的脸，德斯蒙德觉得理解。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The loss of her husband anguished her deeply. 她丈夫的死亡使她悲痛万分。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

3 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

4 durable   

adj.持久的，耐久的

参考例句：

• This raincoat is made of very durable material.这件雨衣是用非常耐用的料子做的。
• They frequently require more major durable purchases.他们经常需要购买耐用消费品。

5 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

6 rubble   

n.（一堆）碎石，瓦砾

参考例句：

• After the earthquake,it took months to clean up the rubble.地震后，花了数月才清理完瓦砾。
• After the war many cities were full of rubble.战后许多城市到处可见颓垣残壁。

7 frustrated   

adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧

参考例句：

• It's very easy to get frustrated in this job. 这个工作很容易令人懊恼。
• The bad weather frustrated all our hopes of going out. 恶劣的天气破坏了我们出行的愿望。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

9 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

10 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

11 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

12 tangible   

adj.有形的，可触摸的，确凿的，实际的

参考例句：

• The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
• There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。